What I want to know: what role would a video codec called h.264 and software patents play in all of this…?

Mass surveillance is so much easier if there is just one codec and if an american organisation, the MPEG-LA – still protected by the US government – controls the moving image worldwide…

RAP NEWS 19 – Whistleblower

Written by Giordano Nanni & Hugo Farrant – Juice Rap News

– Good afternoon, viewers, thank you for clicking
through to view this exclusive brand new edition
of Juice Rap News back through with a global transmission
with your host Robert Foster, and we’re glad to begin

by introducing this routine interview scheduled today,
with our regular US guest, now director of the NSA,
General Baxter – Hi – Can you provide via satellite
an update on the state of Empire? – Bob, I have to confide

I’m satisfied. In fact, I got no axe to grind.
Our Nobel Peace prize President mastermind
has a healthy appetite for sending drones to smash the lives
of Brown children… Muslims… I mean terrorist hoodlums

Egregious… – Goddamn right we agree it’s just;
Every American’ll feel hot pangs of pride when they hear of this.
But guess what I’m most excited about that’s finally happening
– What? – The court martial of Private Bradley Manning

Three years without trial and a touch of torture
That’s how we punish dissent in the Free World Order.
After this, no one will dare blow whistles, or leak intel
or question our right to read every single freaking email… oops

– Did you just say you read everyone’s emails?
– What? emails? no, we don’t read, scan, track, record and store every detail
– At all? – no sir. not wittingly…
perhaps a few billion emails… accidentally

– A hero has leaked classified documents finally proving
that the NSA has secretly obtained access directly to all
the servers of Facebook, Apple, Yahoo, Youtube, Skype, and Google,
this PRISM system for spying on users from the dark side of the Moon’ll

record everything, that arrives on screens: emails, chats, Grindr feed
Robert, it took great courage from this whistle blower to decide to leak
they’ve taken a great risk in getting us, their fellow citizens
this critical glimpse into what is really happening.. behind the scenes

– Mark Zuckerberg, your position? – word, sit back, listen
you rocking with Zuckerberg, fuckin’ nerd tactician
– So PRISM? – what’s that, ‘PRISM’? Never even heard of that system
yeah we got a program running, but we call it FASCISM

– Uh okay then…General, would you like to make a statement?
– I’m disgusted – You are? that’s amazing
– I had no idea that this could occur, It’s devastating
– shocking, I concur; so will there be an investigation?

– You betcha, we’re gonna get those who broke their oath to the law
– Wonderful… – And hold them responsible, this has gone too far.
– I think the whole world feels the same… – Call Gitmo!
I’m personally going to torture whoever leaked all this info

– Wait, what…? – We’ve become a frickin’ culture of leaks
What if every uppity geek who happens not to agree
with the state’s tyranny decided to expose it to all and sundry
– That might lead to a revolution – Indeed! see what I mean?

Look, we welcome this debate, openly. free speech is sanctified
– Ok then, does the NSA keep… – Sorry that’s classified
– so what are the laws for the… – EEENG!! Access denied
– Well, how can we see – Oops debate time has expired…

– Ah hold on, we’re picking up another feed: this time from Hong Kong
Glen?! – It’s me again, I got an update on what’s going on
– Greenwald! We’re gonna prosecute you for reason… I mean treason
– Uh-uh! your threats are no match for my shield and

you’ll cower under the weight of words when I’m weilding my pen-sword
By the power of Greenwald!
– Ah… did you have an update for the people? – oh, yeah… now World,
meet the brave leaker, Edward Snowden
He’s made a video to reveal his motives for whistle-blowin’

Workin a for dem N-SA down in Hawaii
findin-a me some paper that na be irie
’bout de Babylon put fire ;pon de civil liberty
so me decide fi trade me safety
for de sake o-defend all-ah-me city-zen privacy
if ya see supm, say supm, follow me, and be

– Well, dear viewers, that’s about it for this edition
But it wouldn’t be complete without some final questions
Whistleblowers. They leak in the public interest.
now what remains to be known is: is the public interested?

If so, this might be a good day to exhibit it:
Ignorance is a choice, in the age of the internet
Many consider this all very bewildering
Some praise these acts as heroic, worthy of mimicking

Others condemn them as illegal and prohibited
But, can’t both be equally applicative?
To be good humans we’re sometimes called upon to be bad citizens.
Some nations were even born by breaking laws of the tyrranous.

Do you support heroes from days of yore
who in order to cause reforms disobeyed the law?
Then what about those in the present who heed the same call?
This is Robert Foster for Rap News, good day to you all